France celebrates Bastille Day

Holiday marked by tight security

FIREWORKS ILLUMINATE the Eiffel Tower in Paris during Bastille Day celebration Thursday. By FRANCOIS MORI, The Associated Press

PARIS -- Parisians thronged the Champs-Elysees avenue Thursday to celebrate Bastille Day by watching a colorful military parade while France topped their national holiday by snatching a moment of Gallic glory from American Lance Armstrong in the Tour de France.

With security tightened because of the perceived risk of terrorist attacks, President Jacques Chirac welcomed the guest of honor, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to the official reviewing stand at the Place de la Concorde.

Under clear blue skies and brilliant sunshine, crowds jostled for a better view from behind security barriers on the chestnut-shaded sidewalks.

Chirac kicked off the parade in an open jeep, reviewing forces standing at attention at the sides of the street. France's horse-mounted Republican Guard surrounded the jeep, trotting to keep up with the president on the 2.5-mile stretch from the Arc de Triomphe.

French tenor Roberto Alagna sang the national anthem, "La Marseillaise," accompanied by the French army choir and the symphony orchestra of the Republican Guard.

It was a day for displaying medals, and many participants seemed to have half their chests covered. Even the Alsatian dogs of the canine corps had medals -- awarded for service in Kosovo -- hanging from their special yellow tunics as they panted alongside their handlers in similar tunics.

Wave after wave of military aircraft flew overhead, ranging from fighter jets leaving a stream of blue, white and red vapor -- the colors of the French flag -- to tankers and an AWACS surveillance plane.

Silva was invited to the observances as part of "the year of Brazil in France," promoting economic and cultural ties between the French and the Latin American giant.

A Brazilian military band and members of elite units of the Brazilian armed forces joined in the parade, a rare honor. They were joined by cadets from Brazil's Agulhas Negras, or Black Needles, military academy.

A fly-by by seven Brazilian Tucano warplanes marked the end of the event.

Bastille Day commemorates the 1789 storming of the former Bastille prison in Paris by angry crowds, sparking the revolution that rid France of its monarchy.

Protecting the annual parade has been a high priority since a gunman tried to shoot Chirac in a July 14 motorcade in 2002. The president was unhurt, and the attempted assassin was sentenced in December to 10 years in prison.

Police were stationed at intervals of several yards between the presidential Elysee Palace and the parade.

After the parade Chirac hosted a garden party for 6,000 guests at the Elysee Palace. Besides political leaders and other prominent figures, invitees included soldiers and people in wheelchairs to underscore Chirac's campaign for the handicapped.

In the summer warmth the beer stand was particularly popular, especially with members of the Foreign Legion.

Capping the day for the French was a victory by countryman David Moncoutie in the 12th stage of the Tour de France bicycle race. Armstrong retained the overall lead in his bid for a seventh straight win in the 21-stage tour, but winning on Bastille Day has become sort of a French tradition.

Moncoutie's win Thursday made him the 15th Frenchman since World War II to win on France's national holiday. It was his second stage win in five Tours.